Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
People see former Pope Benedict XVI in various ways, some having a positive appreciation of his work and writings, others having a negative view of his time as pope. Fr. Bill Grimm, a Maryknoll priest based in Japan, has an interesting perspective:
There is a tradition in Phnom Penh of the bishop inviting pastoral workers and parish representatives to a gathering at the pastoral center on Epiphany Sunday. In the past it was a time for the pastoral workers to catch up with each other and for the bishop to disseminate news but now it has become an occasion more for socializing and recognizing different offices in the diocese.
This is a picture of a corner of our kitchen at the Maryknoll office. It’s rather basic. Notice the wooden stool at the bottom. The lady who cooks twice a week sits on that while cutting and slicing all the vegetables and meats on the floor. There is a counter she could stand at but Cambodian women normally sit on the floor–or a stool–while working in the kitchen.
Cambodia has been too much focused on survival for the last half century, and discipline, order, and the rule of law sidelined. That is seen in the increasingly problematic traffic where there is no order. If you can do it, you have right of way.
Today I had a wonderful visit from three new friends who share a common background with me. During part of the time I was in Hong Kong, they were in Macau, working with the Lutheran School for the Deaf, and we have many friends in common. (L-R: Mrs. and Mr. Bush, Charlie, Thomas Dunseth)
Fr. Hung Nguyen was an associate priest with me starting in 2001 and then he returned to his diocese of Seattle. Now he is looking at possible Asian mission again and today he and I met with Bishop Olivier to discuss the possibility of Hung’s working with the English community here. I hope so!
[Photo from the Khmer Times]
Ugh… For the post immediately below this one, I was trying a new feature in WordPress that called for media and text together. In the editing stage, it looked NOTHING like the final published result with such large type! That’s the last time I’ll use that!
For many years the mainstay of local transportation was walking. Then wheeled vehicles appeared on the scene. Some day I’ll do a spread on the stages of development in transportation in Cambodia, but today I want to show the most recent transport mode: What in India is called an autorickshaw or an autorick.
They first appeared in Cambodia three or four years ago. imported from India, and immediately became very popular. One reason is that most of them run on LPG (liquid propane gas), not gasoline, and LPG is about half the price of gasoline. What that meant is that everyone who used to ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi can now ride in a motor tuk-tuk with more comfort, protection from the sun and rain, and no need to carry a helmet.
The Bajaj brand tuk-tuk was probably the first to be imported from India and remains the most common model in use in Phnom Penh.
The TVS model may be the second-most popular one on the streets. The models are all basically the same.
Piaggio may be the next most commonly seen model of the three-wheelers. Notice the more elaborate tail lights.
The Atul is the fourth of the original brands seen on the streets. Notice there isn’t the great need, as in car models, to be different and distinctive.
